You have a new game system and you want to give it a boost by getting the license to design a version of your game set in a fictional series or book. However you have very little money. So you can't bid on anything that is popular now. So one option you have is to look for older properties that may have been popular at one time but now they are largely forgotten, even Out of Print. You can also look at fairly new properties that still have a chance to take off. Which of those options do you think is better? And what books come to mind?
Kage Baker's "Ermenwyr" setting. It has "Children of the Sub (humans), "greenies" (eco elf-types), and demons (bound elemental spirits). Steampunkish and clever like Diskworld. Also Baker died age 59 , so her setting never got developed beyond three linked novellas, some shorts and two standalone novels. So it's not burdened by too much canon.
E.R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros chronically the war between the King of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland cries out to be made into an RPG. Better yet, it is now in the public domain.
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
I think all the Clark Ashton Smith stuff is in public domain now as well... despite what Arkham House might like to think. So I'd say Zothique, Hyperborea, Averoigne... and his scifi stories.
Timothy Zahn's Conquerors' series would be interesting.
Quote from: Simlasa;985522I think all the Clark Ashton Smith stuff is in public domain now as well... despite what Arkham House might like to think. So I'd say Zothique, Hyperborea, Averoigne... and his scifi stories.
I second this...!!! Or maybe one of Jack Vance's lesser known worlds...Dragon Masters, The Demon Princes, or Tschai.
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Space: 1999. Yes, I'm serious.
Quote from: Celestial;985530Space: 1999. Yes, I'm serious.
My vague memories of that show make me think it would be Cthulhu in Space, so, yeah, that works.
Plus, I still have my Eagle Lander ship from when I was little. The three-foot-long spaceship.
Karl Schroeder's Virga books need to be a Savage Worlds setting
Right now.
Thanks all. Great ideas, although I think DEEDS would be expensive. I like the public domain suggestions. If anyone wants to give more suggestions or tell me to go to Hell or whatever, I will be checking for responses now and then.
Jack Vance, The Dragon Lords: a lost colony genetically engineers gargantuan fighting steeds from captured alien invaders.
It's not quite a licence but imagine a D&D of dystopian futures: A Hand Maid's Tale meets The Lottery meets Hunger Games. I'm a bit surprised nobody's tried it given the popularity of dystopias with the kids these days.
The Lost World of Skartaris: sure it's a DC imprint that was aimed at Conan, Tarzan, and John Carter fans but seriously, sword and sandals fantasy where the magic is lost Atlantean technology that they got from aliens (see the final Mike Grell miniseries from a couple years ago) where there are still dinosaurs and the moon is a space ship full of slavers and explorers and adventurers from our world get lost and wind up there bringing guns but not enough ammo. What's not to like?
Quote from: Celestial;985530Space: 1999. Yes, I'm serious.
That is no joke, I know too many older science fiction fans (myself included) who would love to see the setting licensed for Traveller/Cepheus Engine.
Quote from: Celestial;985530Space: 1999. Yes, I'm serious.
Whenever these 'what setting?' questions come up I toss in my desire to run/play games set in the greater Andersonverse... which would meld U.F.O. and Space 1999 and Captain Scarlett and The Thunderbirds and Joe 90 and Stingray and Fireball XL-5 and Space Precinct... there's quite a variety in there: mecha, alien invasion, space patrol, espionage, conspiracy, space exploration, etc.
Of course, I'd personally just do it with the IP shaved off and keep the themes and equipment. Except for the Eagles in Space 1999 there's nothing all that iconic about it except for the concept which wouldn't need a licensed game to pull off. I'd probably set it inside some huge asteroid colony rather than Earth's moon... find some nice designs for not-eagles.
Heavy Metal?
The 'Raven' series by 'Richard Kirk', mostly notable for the Achilleos & Royo book covers. The writing is pretty terrible but it's an interesting setting for '80s swords & sorcery.
Lawrence Watt-Evans' Ethshar series of novels. The setting was actually originally for a play by mail game he ran. The novels apparently don't sell well, so I doubt it would, but it would be kinda neat to see.
I'd also like to see Timothy Zahn's stand alone (AFAIK) novel Triplet. It's set in a science fiction setting that has a fantasy world "inside" a world that has alien ruins. Basically you walk inside a gateway and you end up inside a fantasy world. Except it's not real fantasy, but fantasy in the Clarke's law sense (super high technology) But then there is yet another fantasy world inside that one, that actually is a fantasy world with nor real notable technology, but spirits that can be summoned. It's a surprisingly well developed idea for what I guess was a throw away novel for Baen Books. Curiously, the cover was re-used by Steve Jackson Games for one of their GURPs supplements. Magic, maybe? It's a purple blue-ish cover of a guy summoning something.
And if you are talking Public Domain stuff, then I would go with H. Beam Piper's Space Viking. He had a whole universe (well, galaxy) developed that I am quite fond of. Is Paratime Police stories might also work
I'd go with U.F.O. but maybe not Gerry Anderson's series, pain to get the license. Same concept.
How about a War of the Worlds 2 based on the H G. Wells classic novel with a "second wave" invading a more prepared earth. I would give the Martians a few weaknesses besides germs to make it interesting. Steam punk horror sf.
Basing a game on the anime "Dirty pair" universe could be cool.
Masamune Shirow's Appleseed would likely be top of the list. His lesser known "Tank police" anime/manga could be good too.
Quote from: darthfozzywig;985531Plus, I still have my Eagle Lander ship from when I was little. The three-foot-long spaceship.
You are a metal god.
Quote from: WillInNewHaven;985535Thanks all. Great ideas, although I think DEEDS would be expensive. I like the public domain suggestions. If anyone wants to give more suggestions or tell me to go to Hell or whatever, I will be checking for responses now and then.
It may be but you won't know until you contact the author or her agent. Sometime you will be surprised at the result of a friendly contact.
The newer novels have gotten me thinking about Buck Rogers (the late 70s-early 80s TV series) again, and how it would pair well with D6.
Quote from: Schwartzwald;985598How about a War of the Worlds 2 based on the H G. Wells classic novel with a "second wave" invading a more prepared earth.
There was a TV series that was kind of about such a thing when I was a kid. I never watched it, but from what I recall of glimpses I caught it looked like they went for an espionage/horror approach, with the Martians creating human clones agents... or something like that.
EDIT: Reading the synopsis of the show on Wikipedia tells me that my guesses about the show are all sorts of wrong... but apparently the first season of the show was pretty good.
R. Scott Bakker's world of Earwa from his series "The Prince of Nothing". Hellenic/Byzantine iron-age sword-and-super-sorcery. It's the Silmarillion meets Cthulhu and they make sweet tentacle-love and produce a pretty amazing and dark world. With at least one laser gun. And a big spaceship. That ending tho...
Quote from: Technomancer;985654The newer novels have gotten me thinking about Buck Rogers (the late 70s-early 80s TV series) again, and how it would pair well with D6.
Very well, actually. I've been converting the spacecraft from Buck Rogers, Old Battlestar Galactica, Space Academy, and Jason of Star Command to d6 Star Wars. It is pretty nice because the models were all made by the same special effects crews.
Quote from: Simlasa;985522I think all the Clark Ashton Smith stuff is in public domain now as well... despite what Arkham House might like to think. So I'd say Zothique, Hyperborea, Averoigne... and his scifi stories.
I think this could take off at a cult/OSR level.
Keith Laumer's Retief setting for a science fiction/fantasy one.
William Hope Hodgson's Nightland
Quote from: Simlasa;985561the greater Andersonverse... which would meld U.F.O. and Space 1999 and Captain Scarlett and The Thunderbirds and Joe 90 and Stingray and Fireball XL-5 and Space Precinct...
Don't forget Terrahawks!
Anyway, mine would be Hawk the Slayer. Hula-hoop, rubber ball, and silly string sorcery for the win!
Don't know if this is "obscure," but neither are many of the other entries up above...
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Quote from: David Johansen;985552Jack Vance, The Dragon Lords: a lost colony genetically engineers gargantuan fighting steeds from captured alien invaders.
I remember that! I was probably 13 when I read it, but I loved it at the time. I drew a lot of saurian-riddled battles after that.
Quote from: JeremyR;985595I'd also like to see Timothy Zahn's stand alone (AFAIK) novel Triplet. It's set in a science fiction setting that has a fantasy world "inside" a world that has alien ruins. Basically you walk inside a gateway and you end up inside a fantasy world. Except it's not real fantasy, but fantasy in the Clarke's law sense (super high technology) But then there is yet another fantasy world inside that one, that actually is a fantasy world with nor real notable technology, but spirits that can be summoned. It's a surprisingly well developed idea for what I guess was a throw away novel for Baen Books. Curiously, the cover was re-used by Steve Jackson Games for one of their GURPs supplements. Magic, maybe? It's a purple blue-ish cover of a guy summoning something.
ZOMG! someone else who remembers Triplet! that was a great book and set up for a game world IMO, and I for one would love to see more in that setting, be it an RPG or a sequel.
I'd add the Liaden series (maybe not THAT obscure, but still), or maybe the Mageworlds series.
hell, combine the 2.
Zahn's non-SW sf tends to be underrated.
Quote from: DavetheLost;985490E.R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros chronically the war between the King of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland cries out to be made into an RPG. Better yet, it is now in the public domain.
I'd love to do this with
Pendragon mechanics.
Quote from: Simlasa;985522I think all the Clark Ashton Smith stuff is in public domain now as well... despite what Arkham House might like to think. So I'd say Zothique, Hyperborea, Averoigne... and his scifi stories.
This was covered in series of articles for
Worlds of Cthulhu, but would make a nice standalone setting or a sourcebook.
Quote from: TrippyHippy;985563Heavy Metal?
Not super-obscure, but I've even pitched this to two publishers. I've been told the rights would be
extremely complicated.
Quote from: Zevious Zoquis;985883William Hope Hodgson's Nightland
Absolutely. I have an open invite to write it for Chaosium, and Sandy Petersen himself is a huge fan of the IP.
I'd also add the
Guardians of the Flame (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Flame)series by the late Joel Rosenberg to the list, though it's quite meta. Playing an RPG where the PCs are a bunch of gamers who're transported magically to a fantasy universe and inhabiting their player character bodies, based on an IP about the same conceit, would be almost too on the nose. But then, why the hell not?
Raymond Feist's "Midkemia" and "Tsurannuanni" (which will cause drama with the Tekumel purists). Would be good system-neutral settings.
Harrow County, a 1920s-set horror comic. Witchcraft, rural american folklore, ghosts, demons, and all sorts of nastiness lurking in the woods. The setting is just crying out to be roleplayed in.
I could really go for a game set in the 'mythic/folkloric' environs of Time/Life's old The Enchanted World series.
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson.
Quote from: darthfozzywig;986458The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson.
Really dark and brutal. I was thinking _Three Hearts & Three Lions_ but neither seems really obscure to me.
Quote from: Jason D;986368I'd also add the Guardians of the Flame (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Flame)series by the late Joel Rosenberg to the list, though it's quite meta. Playing an RPG where the PCs are a bunch of gamers who're transported magically to a fantasy universe and inhabiting their player character bodies, based on an IP about the same conceit, would be almost too on the nose. But then, why the hell not?
I had thought the PCs would be in-world characters with the option to play Earth crossovers when I considered it. His less well-known series _D'Shai_ and _Hour of the Octopus_ has no crossover characters and a unique central conceit which would make it interesting to turn into an RPG and would give the game a unique quality.
The Invisibles.
The Dark Border series by Paul Edwin Zimmer.
Quote from: darthfozzywig;985531Plus, I still have my Eagle Lander ship from when I was little. The three-foot-long spaceship.
Damn, I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. I built my own with an erector set, and later got the 8-12 inch model from... Revel?
I loved that show.
Perry Rhodan.
Quote from: WillInNewHaven;985481You have a new game system and you want to give it a boost by getting the license to design a version of your game set in a fictional series or book. However you have very little money. [snip] So one option you have is to look for older properties that may have been popular at one time but now they are largely forgotten, even Out of Print. [snip] And what books come to mind?
For a SF game, James H. Schmitz's Federation of the Hub and Agent of Vega universes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Schmitz
Allan.
I would like to see the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs brought out as an RPG. I like her take on the Fae, Werewolf, Vampire genre.
The setting created in A.E. Van Voght's 'voyage of the space beagle' cos make a gold SFRPG.
also A RPG based in H.G. Wells' original 'war of the worlds' dealing with a second martian invasion has potential.
Quote from: Schwartzwald;988138The setting created in A.E. Van Voght's 'voyage of the space beagle' cos make a gold SFRPG.
also A RPG based in H.G. Wells' original 'war of the worlds' dealing with a second martian invasion has potential.
Those would be interesting.
Even the original WOTW would be a good setting if you can figure out something to do against the Martians aside from unleashing a virus.
OMG how could I have forgotten - Star Control II!
One of the best PC video games ever. Huge galaxy, many starfaring races. Ship combat! Galactic secrets! Wars! Romance! Everything!
Quote from: Hrugga;985529I second this...!!! Or maybe one of Jack Vance's lesser known worlds...Dragon Masters, The Demon Princes, or Tschai.
Tschai was done as GURPS Planet of Adventure.
Quote from: Schwartzwald;985598Masamune Shirow's Appleseed would likely be top of the list. His lesser known "Tank police" anime/manga could be good too.
Tank Police was done by GoO using BESM.
Quote from: tenbones;988241OMG how could I have forgotten - Star Control II!
One of the best PC video games ever. Huge galaxy, many starfaring races. Ship combat! Galactic secrets! Wars! Romance! Everything!
Definitely one of the greatest PCs games ever.
Quote from: Arminius;988243Tschai was done as GURPS Planet of Adventure.
I know there is a Gurps following here. How is it?
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Quote from: Dumarest;988142Even the original WOTW would be a good setting if you can figure out something to do against the Martians aside from unleashing a virus.
IIRC, explosive cannon shells worked against them.
Quote from: Hrugga;988258I know there is a Gurps following here. How is it?
I haven't looked at it too closely, but I liked the pictures of the four alien races.
Gerrold's Chtorr novels would be a worthwhile game (perhaps build on a simplified Leading Edge Aliens engine). There was a GURPS book about them ages ago, but I don't know of any other RPGs published for the series.
Allan.
Quote from: grodog;988446Gerrold's Chtorr novels would be a worthwhile game (perhaps build on a simplified Leading Edge Aliens engine). There was a GURPS book about them ages ago, but I don't know of any other RPGs published for the series.
Allan.
That was GURPS? I was involved in playtesting and I could have _sworn_ CJ wrote it for Palladium. I will dig it out and undoubtedly find that you are correct. It was a good setting.
Quote from: estar;985496The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
Didn't that start as an RPG campaign?
Heiro's Journey would make a fun Post-Apocalypse setting I think.
I thought of another, Perry's 97 Steps series. Space assassins!
Not necessarily obscure (among gaming and F&SF circles at least), but...
Leigh Brackett's "Solar System" tales (Northwest Smith, Eric John Stark, etc.)
Vance's Lyonesse trilogy
China Mieville's Bas-Lag books (Perdido Street Station, The Scar, etc.)
C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy
I think Lyonnesse was done as an RPG in French.
I'll toss one out--barely remember the plot but I loved a juvenile science fantasy series that started with Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. There were enough sequels that there's probably a substantial amount of setting to mine.
Quote from: Arminius;988721I think Lyonnesse was done as an RPG in French.
I'll toss one out--barely remember the plot but I loved a juvenile science fantasy series that started with Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. There were enough sequels that there's probably a substantial amount of setting to mine.
Ooo... That's the one with the crazy uncle that invented binoculars that could see into the infragreen range of the spectrum, right? And, sulfur was important...
That sounds about right.
Those were fun stories. Crazy uncles for the win!
Star Wars.
What I would love are 2 setting books - one based on the original first draft script by Lucas (there was a graphic novel done a couple years ago) and another based on the Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book (particularly the setting created between New Hope and Empire).
EDIT: I know, SW is the anti-obscure, but most SW fans don't know about those two "alternate universes" and I know I could get a group to play them in a hot second.
Quote from: Spinachcat;989092Star Wars.
What I would love are 2 setting books - one based on the original first draft script by Lucas (there was a graphic novel done a couple years ago) and another based on the Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book (particularly the setting created between New Hope and Empire).
EDIT: I know, SW is the anti-obscure, but most SW fans don't know about those two "alternate universes" and I know I could get a group to play them in a hot second.
I don't givea hoot about the original screenplay but I'd be all over the Marvel Comics one. I incorporate bits from the comics when I play Star Wars. Basically I default to the first movie plus the early Marvel Comics ideas that filled the gap before The Empire Strikes Back. I find them far more interesting and fun than anything Lucas & Co. came up with after 1977.
Quote from: Spinachcat;989092Star Wars.
What I would love are 2 setting books - one based on the original first draft script by Lucas (there was a graphic novel done a couple years ago) and another based on the Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book (particularly the setting created between New Hope and Empire).
EDIT: I know, SW is the anti-obscure, but most SW fans don't know about those two "alternate universes" and I know I could get a group to play them in a hot second.
Lucasfilm shifted policy on the Marvel Comics place in the EU around the late 90s, so WotC produced some source material based on it for the d20 games. You'll probably have to track down several issues of the
Star Wars Gamer magazine to find a lot of it, though. (Jaxxon and the rest of that gang even get the cover of an issue!)
The Star Wars would definitely be interesting ... it would probably feel like a mix of the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, and
Flash Gordon.
Patrick Tilley's The Amtrak Wars - post apocalyptic s/f with magic...
Quote from: Simon W;989150Patrick Tilley's The Amtrak Wars - post apocalyptic s/f with magic...
There was magic in the Amtrak Wars? I read several of those books and don't remember magic at all...
Quote from: nightlamp;988718Not necessarily obscure (among gaming and F&SF circles at least), but...
Leigh Brackett's "Solar System" tales (Northwest Smith, Eric John Stark, etc.)
Vance's Lyonesse trilogy
China Mieville's Bas-Lag books (Perdido Street Station, The Scar, etc.)
C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy
I concur. Good picks. C.L. Moore's Nortwest Smith stories(he shoots first when needed)!!!...Shambleau!!! Minga!!! Lakkdarol!!! Leigh Brackett is good too(her screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back is a what could have been. A real "Whompa-in"good time)...!!! Need to finish Perdido Street Station...
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Quote from: Hrugga;989371I concur. Good picks. C.L. Moore's Nortwest Smith stories(he shoots first when needed)!!!...Shambleau!!! Minga!!! Lakkdarol!!! Leigh Brackett is good too(her screenplay for The Empire Strikes Back is a what could have been. A real "Whompa-in"good time)...!!! Need to finish Perdido Street Station...
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Ahh, that's right -- Northwest Smith was C.L. Moore, not Brackett. Brackett's screenplay for ESB should be folded into the "alternate Star Wars" setting book mentioned by Spinachcat a few posts up.
The Willow universe. The movie + the novels that came out in the 90's were all really good.
Quote from: Arminius;988721I think Lyonnesse was done as an RPG in French.
Farmer's World of Tiers was done as a French RPG license, too.
Quote from: Spinachcat;989092Star Wars.
What I would love are 2 setting books - one based on the original first draft script by Lucas (there was a graphic novel done a couple years ago) and another based on the Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book (particularly the setting created between New Hope and Empire).
EDIT: I know, SW is the anti-obscure, but most SW fans don't know about those two "alternate universes" and I know I could get a group to play them in a hot second.
Where would I go to read more about the original/early drafts of Star Wars? I've read Skywalking and some other bios of Lucas, that include quite a bit of evolving storyline info, but not the scripts themselves. Is there a good definitive reference for the scripts, similar to say, the Babylon 5 scripts series by J. Michael Straczyinski?
Allan.
Flesh from 2000AD.
Something utterly insane like...
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So many gonzo ideas in this movie...
You'd have to play it straight for it to be hilarious and fun.
Now this would be a hoot and three-quarters!
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QuoteWhere would I go to read more about the original/early drafts of Star Wars? I've read Skywalking and some other bios of Lucas, that include quite a bit of evolving storyline info, but not the scripts themselves. Is there a good definitive reference for the scripts, similar to say, the Babylon 5 scripts series by J. Michael Straczyinski?
Allan.
The best source is
The Star Wars comic miniseries, which adapts an early draft to comic book format.
Quote from: Ulairi;989507The Willow universe. The movie + the novels that came out in the 90's were all really good.
There was a
Willow Sourcebook contemporaneous with the film, but I believe it's absurdly expensive nowadays.
Quote from: Dumarest;989563Something utterly insane like...
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So many gonzo ideas in this movie...
You'd have to play it straight for it to be hilarious and fun.
Got this on bluray! Love it. Plan 9 is also a good call.
Another, though, I'm not sure if it is obscure, would be Alan Moore's 1963:
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It's basically Silver Age Marvel without any baggage.
Quote from: Voros;989881Got this on bluray! Love it. Plan 9 is also a good call.
I discovered it one day back when there used to be independent video rental stores here and there...there was a hole-in-the-wall place near my high school that had lots of old and relatively unknown movies on its shelves, probably because it couldn't compete with Blockbuster when it came to new releases, but that's why we went there. My friends and I would rent movies based solely on their box covers and how gonzo they looked, and especially if they appeared to be foreign or low-budget attempts to cash in on a fad. So
Star Crash quickly became a favorite. How can you beat a very poor man's Italian
Star Wars knock-ff with an international cast with Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, a goony-looking blond German (?) with an Afro, and a robot with a Texan accent? Actually you could easily play this with West End Games Star Wars with minor modifications.
Good idea to use WEG. I remember I kept asking myself why the robot talked like a Texas ranger and then realized it was equally stupid that C3PO talked like a gay English butler.
Quote from: Tetsubo;989171There was magic in the Amtrak Wars? I read several of those books and don't remember magic at all...
Clearwater is a summoner and within the first 50 pages of book 1 she summons a tornado to save Cadillac from being killed in a knife fight by Shakatak.
"Roadmarks" by Roger Zelazny would make a great setting or campaign background for game sessions using either GURPS or "Savage Worlds".
Its a Highway that lets you travel to any time or place - you just have to find the secret on-ramps to find it.
Take a look: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadmarks
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar;990751"Roadmarks" by Roger Zelazny would make a great setting or campaign background for game sessions using either GURPS or "Savage Worlds".
Its a Highway that lets you travel to any time or place - you just have to find the secret on-ramps to find it.
Take a look: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadmarks
- Ed C.
Yes, that would be cool.
Battlestar Galactica; the original series.
The War of Powers by Robert E Vardeman and Victor Milan ().
First published in 1980, these may be the first books to feature a character wielding dual scimitars (however, said character is actually interesting). It's otherwise a classic high fantasy world with lots of magic, lots of history, a flying city, and a living glacier. Oh, and a sense of humour. There's a lot for a DM to work with here.
I was fortunate to find secondhand copies about 15 years ago; it's a shame that these books have never been republished.
Quote from: jeff37923;985556That is no joke, I know too many older science fiction fans (myself included) who would love to see the setting licensed for Traveller/Cepheus Engine.
Yes please this would be an immediate buy on my list.
Quote from: RPGPundit;991416Battlestar Galactica; the original series.
I wouldn't object to this.
Of course, it's not all that obscure.
Quote from: RPGPundit;992179Of course, it's not all that obscure.
Half the titles mentioned haven't really been, so why not? I call dibs on playing Starbuck in the true Dirk Benedict style.
As I noted over in the Media and Inspiration subforum, I think Ron Randall's Trekker has a lot of potential for a somewhat gritty sci to setting a little bit reminiscent of Blade Runner.
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American Flagg? Although I could never figure out what was going on in that brilliant comic.
Several of Robert A. Heinlein's works would be great. some of picks would include Citizen of the Galaxy, Have space suit will travel, Tunnel in the Sky, Anything with Lazarus Long in it. Revolt in 2100. Note these are just some of my picks.
Pournelle's Janissaries series would be pretty cool. A group of modern CIA mercenaries gets abducted by aliens and put on a planet that is periodically seeded with humans (so there are cultures based on Romans, Greeks, etc on this alien world) with "orders" to secure land and grow some special crops for the aliens (more to this, but the PCs wouldn't know at the start). Tech level of the planet's "native" humans is spears and swords and bows and cavalry. The modern guys (the PCs) have some modern tech, but with limited supplies.
Has a lot of good game elements. PCs would start off really tough, but have to manage resources. Not completely alien, since the "native" population came from Earth, originally, so there are familiar elements for players to grasp without a lot of explanation from the DM. "Native" common tongue based on Greek and Latin, so not impossible to imagine PCs who could quickly learn to communicate. Exploration. Politics. Combat. Domain management/establishment. A long-term "mission" with mysteries surrounding it.
I could work with all that.